Currently, when a flexible conduit such as a conventional garden hose becomes split, punctured or otherwise damaged, the damage is commonly repaired either by wrapping adhesive tape around the damaged area or by installing in the damaged region a commercially available hose mending apparatus. Wrapping adhesive tape around the damaged area of the hose may temporarily repair the hose; however, such solution is essentially a stopgap measure which either must be frequently repeated or used as a temporary repair until a more permanent hose mending apparatus can be installed.
In the event a long-lasting repair is desired, or perhaps the hose is to be shortened, a suitable hose mending apparatus such as, for example, that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,460 or the type currently manufactured by Green Garden, Inc. of Somerset, Pa., is typically installed. Hose menders of this sort normally comprise a sleeve-like adaptor portion and a clamping portion. The adaptor portion is normally a tubular member having a first end designed for insertion into the damaged hose and a second end provided with either external or internal threading compatible for threaded connection to a suitable female or male hose coupling or to the spout of a faucet. The clamping portion may take the form of any functional hose clamping mechanism that can apply radially inwardly directed force to the hose whereby the hose becomes sealingly and compressively attached to the first end of the adaptor portion. In the hose mending apparatus of the type manufactured by Green Garden, Inc., the clamping mechanism consists of a pair of mating shells each having a substantially semicircular notch formed in a central portion thereof. When the mating shells are brought into engagement with one another, the semicircular notches cooperate to form an opening within which the hose and the inserted adaptor portion are received. Thereafter, mechanical fasteners, such as self-tapping screws or the like are inserted into aligned openings provided in the shells whereby the shells can be drawn toward one another by tightening the screws, thereby providing the requisite clamping force.
Hose menders of the type thus far discussed suffer from several disadvantages. They must be packaged in costly and cumbersome packaging materials and containers in order to assure that the adaptor and clamping portions do not become accidentally separated during shipping and handling. Further, their configuration is such that, when attached to a hose, the clamping force that they apply to the hose is somewhat limited. As a result, if relatively moderate tension is applied to the hose, the hose may become unintentionally detached from the adaptor portion, thereby requiring the user to disassemble the hose mender and reinstall it on the hose before the hose can be again be rendered functional.
An advantage exists, therefore, for a hose mending apparatus of a construction that is inexpensive to manufacture and ship yet also capable of applying sizable gripping or clamping force to a hose such that the integrity of the connection between the hose mending apparatus and the hose is effectively maintained notwithstanding the level of tensile force applied to the hose.